Disclosure: I have done freelance work for Mixvibes on Remixvideo, in the past.
With electronic music production traditionally having a high bar for entry, desktop and mobile apps have helped make the skill much more approachable. Whether you want a fully fledged DAW like Cubasis 2, or a little groovebox app like iMaschine, it’s easy to make music on the go.
That’s a niche that Mixvibes’ Remixlive for iOS has happily sat in for two years, with it’s intuitive and simple grid sample launcher and plethora of effects. Now, Mixvibes have launched Beat Snap, a further-stripped down app with a ready made sample packs, a grid launcher, simple X/Y effects, and the ability to record your output.
Here are the words straight from the Mixvibes typewriter:
Mixvibes introduces Beat Snap, a brand new app to become a beatmaker in a snap.
Mixvibes, pioneer in digital DJing, is introducing Beat Snap, an intuitive app for music lovers to start producing music.
Every music lovers’ dream is to play music, produce pro-sounding beats and, let’s be honest, impress friends! For them, Mixvibes has created hundreds of packs inspired by the music that shapes pop culture (from Drake to Daft Punk) that they can use to play beats live or to record a track step by step.
Become a beatmaker in a snap!
After creating DJing and music apps, Mixvibes wanted Beat Snap to be the most intuitive app for anyone who loves music. Right from the start, the users will feel like they already know about music making since they can visualize every family of instruments they are playing on the 32 pads. More than playing beats live and adding FX, creating a full track ready to be shared has never been so easy thanks to the 4 sequences!
The sound packs inspired by the hottest tracks and genres give access to unlimited creativity and will give music lovers this unique “I’m a beatmaker now!” feeling.
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MAKE BEATS, PLAY LIVE
- Jam on 32 pads.
- Play with 35 kinds of instruments.
- Make beats in seconds thanks to an intuitive design.
RECORD YOUR OWN BEATS
- Record up to 4 sequences, one at a time.
- Use the metronome to play on the beat.
- Loop sequences or play them one after another.
POWERFUL LIVE FX
- 6 live-controllable FX, including Delay and Reverb. • Launch two FX simultaneously – one on each grid.
- Activate each FX from the grid.
ENTER A WORLD OF SOUND
- Pick your favorite styles among 40 packs (more to come).
- Features packs inspired by songs that shaped pop culture.
- Create pro-sounding tracks with high-quality sounds.
SHARE WITH THE WORLD
- Record your tracks.
- Share them to SoundCloud, via email, cloud or messaging apps.
- Get tips to build your skills in the News section.
Pricing & availability
Beat Snap is available on both iOS and Android.
The app offers weekly and yearly subscription plans to unlock all sound packs already included and to be included in Beat Snap. As Mixvibes is working with many pro sound designers, new sound packs will be available weekly.
Watch introduction video: https://bit.ly/2q82dfL
Download for iOS: https://bit.ly/beatsnap-ios
Download for Android: https://bit.ly/beatsnap-android
iOS screenshots: https://bit.ly/2Gq72vj
Android screenshots: https://bit.ly/2I7zUpp
My take
Rather than having an upfront cost with in-app purchase like their Remix app series, Mixvibes built Beat Snap to rely exclusively on a weekly or annual subscription to sample packs. But there’s no option to buy individual packs, meaning you’re either committed to the full subscription or stuck with the samples that come pre-installed.
Literally the first thing you’re greeted with when you load Beat Snap is a nag screen asking you to subscribe to access the sample packs. The subscription service automatically starts taking payment after a month’s free trial, which only becomes obvious if you read the small print right at the bottom of the nag screen.
I don’t doubt some people will pay the asking price, but for an app with little depth, the subscription approach feels unnecessary. This doesn’t bode well for the app, which is a shame, as it’s a fun little time-waster that lets you quickly get started.
I’m fairly sure this’ll be a trial balloon to roll out the concept in the higher-end apps. And with those, it makes more sense to provide a big value-add via a subscription model like Adobe CC.
Your take
Do you think music making needs to be more approachable on mobile? How do you feel about a subscription-only sample pack system?
You can download Beat Snap from the iOS App Store and Google Play Store for free with a 7-day sample pack trial, and a subscription price of £2.79 per week or £35.99 for the year.